Chassis batteries needed charging.

Hi,

Seeing as 5 amps is enough to maintain a chassis battery, there really is not much point in doing the amp-l-start. The two devices do work a bit differently. The trik-l-start doesn't do an over voltage protection and the amp-l-start does. Where I live, I want the extra voltage because of extreme low temperature.

The whole idea of both units is to act as a maintainer, not a charger.

I also did not want a beeper going off.

mike brez wrote:

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

I would add a trik-l-start or amp-l-start. (my personal choice was the trik-l-start).

Just curious why the trik over the amp? I thought through reading the amp is a upgraded trik.

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

I would add a trik-l-start or amp-l-start. (my personal choice was the trik-l-start).

Just curious why the trik over the amp? I thought through reading the amp is a upgraded trik.

Yes, with all due respect, a drop from 13v (meaning the batteries had just been on a charge cycle and is dropping back down to their normal full charge) to 12.5 is most definitely normal, especially if the batteries) are several years old. The OP's mh is an 02 and he just got the mh 3 months ago, so we really don't know how old his chassis batteries really are.

If the batteries have been charging, then it's important to let the batteries set for 2 to 3 hours without a load or charger connected to stabilize before testing. Otherwise, the reading will be high, caused by a phenomenon called "surface charge"; hence, the reading of 13v.

He measured the voltage immediately after charging to get the 13v then the next day he only had 12.5. So depending upon how old the batteries are and the amount of parasitic load that was present, the drop is definitely normal.

Ron

draboo wrote:
I noticed that the chassis batteries were down to around 12.0 volts. The coach batteries are maintained well thanks to the inverter/charger system. I connected the chassis and coach batteries with a jumper to charge the chassis batteries for two days. I took off the jumper and the chassis batteries were at 13 volts. Now, a day later, they are down to 12.5 V.

Is this a normal voltage drop? Might they need replacing? I thought the inverter charged all the batteries, not just the coach.

Thanks for any info.

Brad
02 Holiday Rambler Neptune 34ft DP

I have a maintenance free chassis battery also from Walmart. I put a battery disconnect on it and it dropped from 12.6v on Nov 4th to 12.5 v on Dec 31st. House batteries were 12.6 to 12.4v for the same time frame. So no that is not a normal voltage drop for one day. All the batteries are 8 years old. The easiest way to tell if your chassis battery is being charged along with your house batteries when you are plugged in is to check the voltage at the pos and neg terminals and if you see around 14 v it is charging.

Thanks for the info on the Trik L Start....I just ordered one from rvupgradestore for $35.75 shipped.......;)

I had a Safari that was probably the same as your Neptune. It did NOT charge the chassis batteries when on shore power. I installed a Trik-l-start and never had another problem with the chassis batteries.

FWIW, 12.5 to 12.6 volts is indication of a full charge. You will only read higher when the batteries are being charged. So going from 13v down to 12.5 is normal when the charger has been turned off. When measuring a battery, turn off the battery disconnect and wait for about a 1/2 hour before measuring.

Purchase and install the Trik-l-start....it will solve your problem.

Ron

30 min is not enough charge time
Try six hours with the charger, then let them rest over night and then check them

Hi,

I would add a trik-l-start or amp-l-start. (my personal choice was the trik-l-start).

If u leave antenna booster on it will pull bat down over time.

I wired this in.